Urkey camier



Nov. 6, 1951 J. C. MALONE, SR

TURKEY CALLER Filed Nov. 3, 1949 p w \I l w F F 8 J 2 5 a mu d/w r 4 [7 7 4 M/ 1 WIM v 6 k w w m m Patented Nov. 6, 1951 N l TED STATES PATENT FFICE TURKEY GALIEER. James 'C.1Malone,Sr., Tuscaloosa, Ala.

Application November 3, 1949;"Serial No. 125,303

This invention .appertains to novel :and useful improvements in wild animal callers and :is particularly directed to amechanical callerrfor wild turkeys.

One object of the invention'is to provide a turkey caller which is characterized by an elongated hollow housing embodying a longitudinally slotted top wall, the slot in said wall constituting a tone discharge opening and the space within said housing constituting .a tone trapping, :resonating and modulating chamber, there being novel manually operable reclprocatlng means in said chamber 'coacting with :an eiiectively :re-

sponsive "vibratory reed which is anchored in the chamber, said means embodying a novel reed,

' constructed and arranged pistol-grip' handle, said handle being provided witha finger-actuable trigger and said triggerhaving sensitive coacting relationship with the aforementioned tone producing means by way of a coacting slidably mounted rod, said means being sprin returned, whereby said rod is in constant controllable contact with the trigger, making it possible for the user, with a little training and'skill, to operate the caller'in a single 'hand and to obtain the precise effects required, depending on the circumstances at-hand.

A further object has to do with a trigger operated sound producing member functioning Within the tone chamber of the housing and embodying a reed actuating member with rod portions at opposite ends, one rod portion extending through one end wall and coacting with the trigger and the other rod portion being spring returned and extending through a slide which is mounted in the other end wall of the housing, said slidebeing regulable in a manner to increase or decrease the friction drag on the coactingrod member and to thus provide a simple tuning device which enables the user .to manually regulate the intensity of the tone which is capable of being produced.

These and ancillary objects and structural features of merit are attained by this invention, the preferred embodiment of which is set forth in the following description and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein:

Figure 1 is a view in perspective of the turkey :2 Claims. (GAG-+189) .said .slide .member .2 caller, constructed in accordance with the principles of'this invention;

"FigureIZ "is a longitudinal Vertical sectional view thereof;

Figure :3 'is a'transverse sectionalview t'aken on line 3-3 o'f Figurei2,'and

sound trapping and resonating housing l2 cons'isting of a bottom wall 14, an upstanding back wall It and an upstanding front wall [8, the back wall it extending upwardly above the front wall and bein connected thereto by parallel side walls 20having inclined upper edges 22.

A solid pistol-grip handle 2d projects rearwardly from the housing and is spaced from but connected to the rear wall I6 by opposing walls 26, defining a trigger opening 28. An actuating element or trigger 30 is pivotally mounted on a transverse pin 32 journaled between the walls 26 and is operatively disposed within the opening 28.

The front wall It is longitudinally apertured :as at 36 and is formed with a vertical opening 36 to accommodate a vertically slidable member 38 "havingan oblique opening 49 formed therein. The slide member 38 is a tension regulator and is adjustably retained within the slot or groove 36 formed in the front wall by means of .an insertable and removable top wall d2 fitted in place as shown. "The top wall 42 is formed with a longitudinally extending center slot 44 and is slidably mounted within parallel grooves 46 formed adjacent to the upper edges of the side walls. .A setscrew .48 .is vertically disposed through the outer end of the top .wall 62 and .is engageable with the upper edge of the spring biased wall, the ,setscrew retaining and locking the slide member within the guideway and also adjusting the tension on thespring E53,, carried by the lower endcf 3.3. The spring yieldingly urges the partition member upwardly, while :the setscrew 48 in said .top wall 52 retains the partition member ,in adjusted position. in :a vertical plane.

An elongated rod 52 has one of its ends slidably disposed through the oblique opening 48 in the slide member 38, and the opposing end slidably disposed through a fixed oblique opening 54 in the rear wall Hi, the right end being engaged by the actuating trigger 30, which is formed with a flat face 56 for this purpose. An enlargement 58 is formed on the rod and a spring 60 is concentrically disposed between the front wall 18 and the enlargement. The spring thus may easily urge the rod rearwardly relative to the actuating element 30. A recess 61 is formed in the lower face of the enlargement and a laminated block 62 of white pine or similar material is fixed therein, the black 62 being frictionally engageable on the upper edge of a sensitively responsive vibratory member or reed 64, which is mounted vertically in the housing and has its lower end 66 anchored in the bottom wall, the member 64 being disposed parallel with the back wall l6 of the housing.

In use, it can be seen that the rod 52 will be in the position, as seen in Figure 2. Pressure exerted on the lower end of the actuating element or trigger will force the rod forwardly in the housing, against the resisting tension of the spring 60, to cause the rosin laden block 62 to rub on the flexible sound producing edge of the vibratory reed 64 to thereby create or produce a scraping noise or sound, simulating the call of a wild turkey. Obviously, the tone and intensity of the sound can be regulated by adjusting the set screw 48 to force the partition 38 downwardly or to allow it to move upwardly, thereby determining and regulating the movement of the rod within the opening 40 in the partition member.

It is important to keep in mind that the means 58 and 62 not only coact with the sound producing reed but simultaneously function as a valve and adjustably varies the size of the sound discharge slot means in the top wall 42 with the result that as the plunger rod is projected forwardly to vibrate the reed, the tone emitting slot becomes gradually smaller. Consequently, a gradually diminishing tone is produced according, of course, to the skill of the user. The braking and drag action to check and regulate the freedom of motion of the plunger rod means is controlled by the friction between the spring biased block or slide 38 and the rod-end reciprocating through the oblique hole in said regulable slide. Also, by confining the actuation of the plunger rod to the trigger and pistol-grip area and using one hand only, the hollow housing is not muted by touching or grabbing same. I'herefore, the resonance factor of the housing is not in any manner altered or otherwise hampered.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A turkey caller which is capable of being supported and operated in a single hand of the user comprising a hollow elongated tone-trapping, resonating, and modulating housing embodying top, bottom, side and end walls, said top wall having a lengthwise slot therein providing a tone discharge opening, a vibratory reed in said housing anchored at one end directly on the bottom wall and rising perpendicularly therefrom and having its opposite end free and terminating in spaced relation beneath the intermediate transverse portion of said top wall, a pistol-grip handle secured rigidly to and spaced outwardly from one end wall, a trigger pivoted for operation on said handle, a reed contacting and actuating member in said housing between the free end of said reed and said top wall, said member paralleling said top wall and being disposed in close proximity to the slot in the latter and normally spanning and substantially closing one end portion of said slot, said member constituting a valve for the slot, rod portions carried by the respective ends of said member, one rod portion extending slidably through one end wall and having endthrust contact with said trigger, the other rod portion operating slidably through the remaining end wall, and a coil spring surrounding the last-named rod portion and bearing at one end against said actuating member and at its opposite end against said remaining end wall.

2. A turkey caller which is capable of being supported and operated in a single hand of the user comprising a hollow elongated tone-trapping resonating, and modulating housing embodying top, bottom, side and end walls, one end wall being apertured and having groove means, a slide member mounted in said groove means and substantially closing the aperture in said one end Wall, said slide member having an opening therein, a coil spring interposed between said slide member and the bottom wall and biasing said slide member, by way of said groove means, in a direction away from said bottom and toward said top wall, a setscrew carried by said top wall and engaging the adjacent end of said slide member and serving to compress said coil spring and regulate the opening in said slide member in relation to the longitudinal axis of said housing, a pistol-grip handle secured rigidly to and spaced outwardly from the opposite end wall, a trigger pivoted for operation on said handle, a vibratory reed in said housing anchored at one end directly on the bottom and rising perpendicularly therefrom and having its opposite end free and terminating in spaced relation beneath the intermediate transverse portion of said top wall a trigger pivoted for operation on said handle, a reed contacting and actuating member in said housing between the free end of said reed and said top wall, said member substantially paralleling said top wall and having rod portions at its respective ends, one rod portion extending slidably through said opposite end wall and having end-thrust contact with said trigger, the other rod portion extending and operating slidably through the opening in said slide member, and a coil spring surrounding the last named rod portion and bearing at one end against said actuating member and at its opposite end against said one end wall.

JAMES C. MALONE, SR.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 288,272 Steele Nov. 13, 1883 1,178,269 Schmidt Apr. 4, 1916 1,449,756 Jackson Mar. 27, 1923 1,965,996 Wilder July 10, 1934 2,043,677 Salomon June 9, 1936 2,300,328 Wilsey Oct. 27, 1942 2,394,821 Teagarden Feb. 12, 1946 2,421,403 Allen June 3, 1947 

